Punching the Clock: Behind the bar ...

Iíve never much considered myself a people person - thatís not to say Iím not friendly, because I am - itís just that I donít think I have the charisma needed for some job titles. One such occupation is that of a bartender. Not only must they be attentive, sociable and accurate, they should be able to work well under pressure. And while I may posess those qualities to a certain degree, Iím fairly certain, on a crowded weekend in particular, I would find it rather difficult.

Regardless, for this weekís installment of Punching the Clock, I headed down South Broad Street to the Blarney Stone Pub. I arrived around 4 p.m., just as they were opening for the day, greeted by owner Sarah Woods and your friendly neighborhood bartender, Aaron McEligot. Lights had just been turned on, televisions were on various sports channels, music was playing in the background, and it was just an overall cozy atmosphere. Any sort of apprehension I had felt had gone out the window - or out the door, rather - as the screen doors were allowing a nice breeze to come through.

Before taking to any duties myself, I just observed as McEligot prepared for his shift. He made sure the beverages on tap were good to go and filled bowls with assorted snacks for patrons to munch on. A couple of people strolled through, and he greeted them with a smile, knowing their names and beverage preference before they had to ask. I overheard them making small talk about the patronís day at work, and they chatted about golf for a little bit.